


Bold They Rise

by MrToddWilkins (orphan_account)



Series: My AH.com timelines [5]
Category: Alternate History RPF
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alternate History
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:16:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 4,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27113189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/MrToddWilkins
Series: My AH.com timelines [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1978813





	1. Table of contents

Book 1: New Beginnings (1976-1980)  
  
Book 2: Countdown (1981-1985)  
  
Book 3: Launch (1986-1990)  
  
Book 4: Assembly (1991-1996)  
  
Book 5: Approaches (1997-April 1999)  
  
Book 6 (Interlude): Tranquillity (May-July 1999)  
  
Book 7: Establishment (August 1999-2003)  
  
Book 8 (Interlude): Reconfiguring (2004-2005)  
  
Book 9: Trajectories of Exploration (2006-2013)  
  
Book 10: _Hermes_ (2014-December 2015)  
  
Book 11: Arrival (January-October 2016)  
  
Book 12: Setup (November 2016-2030)  
  
Book 13: Frontier (2031-2061)  
  
Book 14: Appendices


	2. A presidential speech

**March 21,1976  
Kennedy Space Center  
Cape Canaveral,Florida  
**  
 _Transcript of a speech by Gerald Ford_  
  
"Today I speak to you from a place that needs no introduction. It is from the Kennedy Space Center that all American manned space missions since Freedom 7 have launched. From Launch Complex 39A over there,Neil Armstrong and the Apollo 11 crew launched to their appointment with the moon. From that pad,beginning 3 years from now,the first Space Shuttle missions will launch. If I win a full term in November,I will revitalize the space program. America will return to space as the decade of the 1980s begins. In February 1970,my predecessor stated that in the 70s,we would make space a familiar habitat of the 80s and 90s,easily accessible for human exploration. He will only be off by a few years. Thank you."


	3. Chronology:February-October 1976

**February 1976**  
MoM decree 129:The N1-L3 program is cancelled. Development of space stations DOS-7 and DOS-8 is approved. Development of projects 1K11K25 Energia-Buran,100GK _Mosche_ geostationary Earth resources and observation platform,and 150GK Heavy Rocket Study Phases 1-2 program is approved.  
  
 **March 1976**  
Ford's speech at KSC. Fifth test firing of the Space Shuttle Main Engine,for 205 seconds.  
  
 **April 1976**  
NBC's John Chancellor takes a tour of Russia'a space center at Star City. Chancellor reports (aired on April 30 and May 6) that the Soviet Union's space program _isn't_ leaps and bounds ahead of NASA:rather,the two space programs are more or less evenly matched.  
  
 **May 1976**  
Development as per NASA budgetary request 74-10 of the Cargo Space Shuttle (Shuttle-C) Phase 1 is approved.  
  
 **June 1976**  
Last launch attempt of the Europa rocket. This mission,the only successful Europa,places the 503 lb West German _Tamich_ research satellite into medium Earth orbit. Europa is cancelled in July. The first launch of Ariane,Europe's next generation rocket,is anticipated for early 1979.  
  
 **July 4,1976**  
NASA's Viking 1 lander touches down at Chryse Planitia,Mars.  
  
 **July 31,1976**  
Soviet General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev dies peacefully in his sleep,aged 69.  
  
 **Late summer 1976 (August-mid September)**  
NASA's Viking 2 arrives at Mars on August 11,its lander touching down at Schiaparelli Crater on the 29th. On August 17,TASS announces that a "careful selection" has ensured that Alexi Kosygin will be General Secretary of the CCCP. The next day,Soviet space scientist Roald Sagdeyev reveals in a BBC interview that the next Soviet Mars probes will be a pair of orbiters in 1977 and orbiter/lander pairs in 1979 and 1981:the 1975 launch opportunity was skipped for "budgetary reasons". The first shuttle SRB test firing,a 15 second event on September 8,is viewed close up by 12,000 guests and on TV by over 100,000 people. Between September 12 and October 2,cosmonauts Anatoly Filipchenko and Mikhail Lisun, the crew of Soyuz 23, fly the second manned mission to the Salyut 5 space station.  
  
 **October 7,1976**  
Three days after the 19th anniversary of the Sputnik 1 launch,NASA is in shock:closeup imagery taken by the Viking 2 orbiter has identified,on the Isidis Planitia,what can only be some sort of moss. However,further analysis will have to wait:NASA's next Mars mission,the Pioneer Mars orbiter and atmospheric probe,isn't due for launch until 1981.  
  
 **October 24,1976**  
NASA announces that its next astronaut selection has been moved up one year to allow for the delay of the first Space Shuttle mission to September 1980. Also,the test orbiter _Enterprise_ will be modified for spaceflight after the ALT tests next year: _Enterprise_ 's first space mission is not expected earlier than Q1 1984 because of the modifications required for Enterprise's structure and systems.


	4. Europe in space-1 (B1Ch2)

**August 1976  
**  
In Paris a meeting was held. The ministers of the 9 European countries involved in ESA,Europe's pan-continental space agency,met to discuss their options:  
  
MANNED SPACEFLIGHT,1980-2010  
A. No indigenous manned space program prior to 2000-2002 funding period. Use the American Space Shuttle and Russian Soyuz for space access only. After 2005-small capsule,to be launched by a notional American heavy lift rocket  
B. Development studies of a manned spacecraft in the 1980s and early 1990s,leading up to flight tests in 1996-1998 and operational missions after 2001 or so. Winged extended capsule (similar to NASA's Big Gemini study of 1967) launched atop Ariane (next generation) booster or notional American heavy lifter.  
C. Purchase of 3 Soyuz spacecraft from USSR,modification to systems and test launch as soon as 1983. In 1990,debut a European version with improved systems.  
  
RESOLVED:Option B was chosen in November.  
  
MAJOR UNMANNED SPACEFLIGHT-EARTH AND MOON  
Magsat II (cooperartion with NASA)-1979 (launched by Scout rocket)  
 _Aeolus_ oceans observer-1984 (launched by Delta 5000 series rocket)  
 _Galileo_ lunar polar orbiter-1987  
Atmospheric carbon observer-NET 1989  
Lunar lander-1990  
General earth observation network-after 1992  
Lunar lander-1993 or 1994  
Lunar polar rover-before 1997  
Lunar geophysical network-early 2000s  
  
UNMANNED PLANETARY MISSIONS  
Venus flyby/multiple atmospheric probes-1987  
Mars orbiter-1988  
Venus radar orbiter/balloon-1990  
Multiple asteroid flyby (chemical)-1993  
Saturn orbiter/atmospheric probe+Titan probe-1994  
Mars lander-1994  
Mars lander-1996  
Phobos orbiter-1998  
Mercury flyby/polar penetrator-2001  
Mars rover-2003  
Mercury orbiter-2004  
Asteroid Belt tour (REP)-2008  
  
  
Overall,the meeting was a success


	5. 1976 election results

Gerald Ford/Nelson Rockefeller 295 EV 26 states carried 44,100,536  
Jimmy Carter/Lloyd Bentsen 220 EV 18 states carried + DC 37,455,129  
Eugene McCarthy/Alan Davies 48 EV 6 states carried 10,278,952  
  
Primary issues:detente (Ford for,Carter against,McCarthy for)  
Energy (Ford for solar energy,Carter for a UN mandate re:OPEC,McCarthy no stance)


	6. Chronology:November 1976-May 1977

**November 1976**  
The Voyager spacecraft are transported to Kennedy Space Center. Development of the Energia-Buran system begins.  
  
 **December 1976**  
Salyut 6 arrives at Baikonur:launch is anticipated for next September. NPO Energia announces its intent to internationalize the _Mosche_ program by 1988:first launch is anticipated for 1985. China places two Shi Jian space balloons in geostationary orbit with the first Long March 2B rocket,a sign that China is in space exploration for the long run.  
  
 **January 1977**  
Enterprise's first ALT captive-carry tests.  
  
 **February 1977**  
Soyuz 24,last mission to Salyut 5, which is deorbited in May (Zudov, Rostdezvensky).  
  
 **March 1977**  
The first ever Ariane is rolled out at the Paris Air Show.  
  
 **April 1977**  
Conversion of the MSFC Skylab trainer to the Interim Space Station begins. Launch is now targeted for the beginning of 1985. NASA Administrator James Fletcher tours Western Europe speaking about the benefits of NASA/ESA cooperation.  
  
 **May 22,1977**  
The first Star Wars film premieres in the US (Philadelphia,New York,Boston,Albany,Baltimore,Washington DC).  
  
 **The rest of May 1977**  
The Intercosmos 8 satellite carries Japan's first real space science payload, a materials sciences experiment called _Kasumi._


	7. A pop culture interlude

The 1970s and 1980s were impressive times for popular culture. Movies,music,and books were being produced on a scale never seen before. Many artistic careers were impacted by the new culture. Let's look at three examples (a small selection):  
 **  
George RR Martin:** In 1982,the New Jersey native burst upon the literary scene with _Armageddon Nights._ The novel,set in the year 2301,is a tale of life in the Star Trek universe,forty years after the adventures of Kirk's Enterprise. In 1994,Martin published _A Game Of Thrones,_ the first A Song of Ice and Fire book. Sequels followed in 1997 ( _A Clash of Kings),_ 1999 ( _A Storm of Swords),_ 2003 _(A Feast for Crows),_ 2008 ( _A Dance of Dragons),_ 2013 ( _The Winds of Winter),_ and 2017 ( _A Time for Wolves)._ In 2008,NBC optioned the TV rights. The resulting TV show first aired on May 14,2010 under the overarching title _Game of Thrones._ Other books have also been written in that universe. Fantasy prospered with Ralph Bakshi's adaptations of _The Hobbit_ (1976), _The Lord of the Rings_ (1978),and _The Return of the King_ (1983), and Martin worked on the last.  
  
 **Ann M.Martin:** The genre of "middle-school fiction" owes itself to Martin's _The Baby-sitter's Club_ series, which numbered 412 books in total (if one counts the various spinoff series) published between March 1984 and November 2012. Like ASOIAF,there would be TV versions (1989-1990,2004-2008) and two movies (the "regular" movie,in 1993,and Babysitter's Club:Friends Forever in 2005).  
  
 **Francine Pascal:** Another pioneer of young-adult fiction, with the various (697 in all!) Sweet Valley series books, published between October 1982 and May 2006. The _Sweet Valley High_ TV show, which aired between 1993 and 1998,had a "Super Special" episode arc in October and November 1995 (inspired by the 1975 TV movie _Stowaway to the Moon)_ in which the character of Cara Walker (Larisa Oleynik) stows away on a Shuttle launch to Mir. While in space,Cara falls for cosmonaut Maksim Stepanov (real-life cosmonaut Leonid Kadenyuk),and hilarity ensues.


	8. Chronology:summer 1977

**June 1977**  
Salyut 6 gets closer to launch,now planned for September. Cosmonauts Georgi Dobrovolski and Valeri Ryumin are the prime crew for the first expedition, backed up by Yuri Romanenko and Alexsandr Ivanchenkov. China launches the third and fourth FSW recoverable satellites just a week apart:for two days the spacecraft conduct a joint mission,including rendezvous exercises. The Viking 1 orbiter photographs another patch of Martian moss,this one in Gusev Crater. On Earth,JPL submits studies for a Mars Geoscience and Climate Orbiter,a Lunar Science Orbiter,and a Venus radar orbiter,balloon,and medium-term (at least 3 days surface operation) lander.  
  
 **July 1977**  
The first Ariane rocket reaches the launch pad at Kourou:due to the EEC's financial situation,the first launch will now be in a year.  
  
 **August 1977**  
The first two Shuttle ALT tests,respectively piloted by Jack Lousma/Ken Mattingly and Fred Haise/Stuart Roosa. Two Soviet _Mars 77_ orbiters,Mars 8 and Mars 9,are dispatched to the Red Planet at the beginning of the month,and a further orbiter/lander pair is approved for a 1984 launch. NASA's Voyager spacecraft launch on August 20 and August 28.


	9. The Soviet space agency, and development and testing of Energia/Buran between 1977 and 1980

Boris Chertok's quiet takeover of TskBEM in November 1973 was the last thing many in the Soviet aerospace hierarchy wanted. For one thing,it meant that from now on the military would have less and less say in the management of the manned space program. However,the successful operation of Salyuts 3,4,and 5 during Chertok's early years helped shape the hierarchy's opinion in his favor. Another helping point was the death of Brezhnev and Alexei Kosygin's ascension to the post of General Secretary. Kosygin,unlike most,favored increased civilian space activity. The Soviet-American space cooperation pact signed by Nixon and Brezhnev on May 24,1972 was renewed by Rockefeller (since Ford was touring Canada) and Kosygin on July 10,1977, at Athens.

The renewal of the space cooperation agreement guaranteed six personnel exchanges between NASA and NPO Energia between 1979 and 1987,the addition of an American-made video spectrometer to the Venera 13 and 14 Venus orbiters (1), the use of the NASA tracking stations at Canberra and Goldstone to provide backup tracking data for Soviet space probes,a technical exchange in 1984 or 1985 involving data for potential second generation robotic lunar landers, and kept open the option of future manned cooperative missions,although no such missions were planned at that time. A renewal clause at the end stated that the first option for renewal was in 1984,and renewal opportunities every two years thereafter through the end of the century were provided.

(From Asif Siddiqi, _Challenge to Shuttle (and cooperation on Earth), the Soviet space program 1974-1986,_ Government Printing Office, 2005, rev.2011,2019.)

\-----

Throughout the late 70s,Energia development continued apace. The first test firings of the new RD-250 engines provided much valuable data,and by 1982, with Energia's debut set for 1984 (the Zenit booster modules) and 1985 (Energia itself), much risk had been retired. The announcements of the development approval of the Energia-M (medium) variant in 1980 and the Energia-T (heavy) variant in 1984 were greeted both with apprehension and with excitement.

Buran was also under devleopment. Metal bending for the first orbiter began at the end of 1976, and construction of the second commenced in early 1979. The debut of the former was set for 1985,the latter 1988,and soon two more orbiters would be assembled in the Podlipki jigs. The first Buran astronaut corps was selected in 1978,and Chertok hoped to select the second in 1981, which would include two women. The first group was weighted heavily towards pilots,but Chertok planned that subsequent groups would each have 10 pilots and 12 mission specialists.

**List of the GKNI-1 cosmonaut group,with their spaceflights**

**Pilots**  
Ivan Bachurin (Soyuz T-13,Buran 1K4,Soyuz TM-17,STS-98,Soyuz TM-26,Taifun 3K3,Buran 1K10,STS-131,Molniya 7K2)  
Alexi Borodai (Ptichka 2K2,Soyuz TM-23,Baikail 2K7,Gagarin 5K2,Artemis 10)  
Leonid Kadenyuk (STS-24,Baikal 2K3,Groza 4K2,STS-126/Friendship 20/Orion 6,Buran 1K14,Zarya ZO-3,Hermes-MS 1)  
Oleg Kononenko (Baikal 2K3,STS-119,Artemis NEO-2)  
Sergei Nezelov (Soyuz T-16,STS-51,Groza 4K4,Tsiolkovski 6K2.Artemis 14)  
Rimantas Stankavichus (Soyuz T-14)  
Ural Sultanov (Buran 1K5,Taifun 3K2,Buran 1K11,STS-146)

**Mission specialists**  
Arkadi Bogdanov (STS-40,Soyuz TM-21,Baikal 2K9,Zarya LO-1)  
Nikolai Fefelov (Soyuz TM-10,Groza 4K2,Friendship 8 (temporarily),Gagarin 5K4,Artemis-LS 2,Soyuz TMA-17,Dnepr 8K2)  
Valeri Illarionov (STS-27,Baikal 2K5,STS-73,Soyuz TM-32,Taifun 3K6)  
Viktor Zabolotsky (Soyuz TM-5,Ptichka 2K2,Buran 1K7,Groza 4K3,Taifun 3K3,Soyuz TMA-1,Taifun 3K6,Friendship 15,Buran 1K11)


	10. From the JSC Roundup

**September 2,1977  
**  
HAISE ANNOUNCES THAT HE WILL STAY ON AS AN ASTRONAUT  
  
ALT #3 GOES WELL-ROOSA:"SHE HANDLES REAL WELL"  
  
SHUTTLE CENTAUR PRODUCTION TO BEGIN IN SPRING '81  
  
FLETCHER,CHERTOK,BYKOVSKY DISCUSS POSSIBLE ISS-SOYUZ MISSION  
  
EOC MEETING POSTPONED TO WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS  
  
LEONOV,VOLKOV,OTHERS TO TOUR JSC,KSC,GSFC IN SPRING  
  
SHUTTLE DEPLOY OF AUSSAT 1 TO OCCUR IN FEBRUARY '85  
  
NASA TO KEEP OPERATING ALSEP PACKAGES THROUGH FY82


	11. Chronology:autumn 1977

**September-November 1977**  
Salyut 6 launches on September 14,Soyuz 25 follows on September 29. The first occupation of the station is a success,with Dobrovolski and Ryumin performing 2 EVAs. On November 8,Soyuz 26 arrives with Vasili Lazarev,Georgi Grechko,and Eberhard Koellner. This mission is historic for two reasons:the first manned spacecraft exchange (with Lazarev,Grechko,and Koellner returning to Earth in Soyuz 25 on November 21) and the first international manned spaceflight. The first Progress resupply vessel arrives on December 16,departing on January 11,and Dobrovolski and Ryumin return to Earth in Soyuz 26 on February 18,1978. Next up are Yuri Romanenko and Boris Andreyev, Ivanchenkov having been slipped to a later mission.  
  
 **October 1977**  
The last ALT tests prove that Enterprise can fly without a tailcone:modifications for spaceflight are set to begin in April 1978 for delivery to KSC in summer '82 and first manned mission (tentatively STS-25) in late 1984. The first Ariane countdown rehearsal,on October 20,is a complete success.  
  
 **November 1977**  
42 new astronauts are selected to fly on the Space Shuttle,including 8 women and 4 minority members.


	12. The Soviet Union's international relations, 1976-1984

The death of Leonid Brezhnev marked a major shift in how the USSR saw other countries and itself. For years the Soviet Union had been struggling economically,and also its relations with the US and allied countries hadn't been all that great. Alexi Kosygin sent the message that he planned to change the Soviet Union,and for the better. In 1977,Kosygin and US vice president Nelson Rockefeller met in Athens and took several steps to improve relations in Europe. As mentioned above,one such step was renewing the US-USSR space co-operation treaty signed in 1972 by Nixon and Brezhnev. Other results of the Rockefeller-Kosygin Summit were:  
-Rudolf Hess was freed from Spandau Prison on grounds of time served (31 years since 1946,and his health was starting to go). Hess retired to Erfurt, where he would die in 1984.  
-The Soviet government would contribute technical and personnel expertise to a notional joint oil pipeline  
-The USSR would only send military observers to USSR-aligned countries,and never more than 20 at a time.  
-Cultural and political exchanges would be determined at a later date  
  
The 1980s saw new progress in US-USSR relations. If Ronald Reagan had been elected when Leonid Brezhnev was in office,then it is likely that space cooperation would've been reduced,and the SDI space defense program expanded. However,with Kosygin in power,the need for such a program was reduced although not totally eliminated. In 1988,computer electronics mogul George Fowler praised Reagan's space policies as "indicative of a new era".


	13. ISS mission planning

**December 21,1977  
Houston Coliseum  
An evening speech by George Low  
**  
"The ISS is based on a study conducted in 1970. The study called for four space station launches between 1975 and 1983 to preserve America's long duration manned space capability. There are obviously some differences from the old ISS study as compared to the station now under devleopment. The 1970 study assumed four stations launched by Saturn Vs. This has been reduced to one station,launched by the second Phase 1 Shuttle-C,scheduled for launch in May 1985. Elements of all four original ISS stations will appear in the new program. Ir is worth examining the original vision to compare it to the new.  
  
The first ISS space station,built from Skylab B,would be launched in December 1975 into an orbit similar in altitude to Skylab,but at a 28 degree inclination as opposed to Skylab's 50 degrees. The CSM crew transports would ride a Titan SRB plus S-IVB upper stage to ISS-1. Changes to the Apollo Service Module would enable the SM equipment bays to be converted into cargo bays. Cargo stored in these bays during launch would be transferred to the station via spacewalking astronauts using a 'clothesline' system. Four crews would man ISS-1,performing biological and chemical research,including utilization of a specialized onboard centrifuge. The mission of the space station would span about 21 months.  
  
ISS-2 would be the second station launch,in April 1978. During the two year operational lifetime of this station,Earth resources surveys would be conducted. To aid these,the station would be launched into a 290 nm orbit at the original Skylab inclination,enabling Skylab to serve as a backup should ISS-2 fail to reach orbit. As with ISS-1,biomedical experiments would be conducted.  
  
ISS-3 would take up its predecessor's work in September 1980. Monthly CSM launches that winter would raise its crew complement to nine. Despite the planned introduction of the Shuttle at that time,the original plan did not assume Shuttle missions to ISS-3 or its successor. Onboard this station,space manufacturing experiments would be conducted. Anticipated operational time for ISS-3 and ISS-4 was 2 1/2 years apiece. ISS-4 would launch in March 1983.  
  
ISS-4 is especially notable for two reasons. The first is that it was planned that artifiil gravity would be used. The station's spent S-II booster rocket would be used as a counterweight,enabling 1/6th _g_ similar to the gravitational force of the Moon. The second is its use of 2 radioactive power units,which would separately launch on the Saturn 1B rocket. They would be docked to ISS-4 via an Agena upper stage and would generate 6 kW of electricity. By the end of station life in the autumn of 1985,NASA would be ready to launch a permanent,modularized space station.  
  
The ISS being developed today,by contrast,will be launched by the Shuttle-C. Its crews will ride to orbit in specialized passenger modules in a Shuttle cargo bay. At an appointed time,these modules will be ejected from the payload bay. Agena stages will carry them to the ISS orbit,from where they will dock to the station autonomously,with the crew as backup. At the end of a mission,another Agena picks them up and transfers them to another Shuttle. The centrifuge module is retained as well:it will launch on an Atlas-Centaur. The station will operate in a 268 nm orbit,inclined 42 degrees to the equator. Thank you,and may you all enjoy a Merry Christmas".


	14. Chronology:December 1977-September 1978

**December 1977**  
NASA Administrator Robert Frosch is forced into medical retirement. James Fletcher takes over as interim Administrator until a replacement can be found.  
  
 **January-February 1978**  
Space Shuttle Columbia is delivered to KSC on January 18:the first space shuttle mission is now anticipated for late 1979. The ESA announces that Olympus,their newest communications satellite project,will be launched via Space Shuttle in 1988. President Ford appoints Buzz Aldrin to head a committee to study options for an integrated space architecture for the 1990s and beyond.  
  
 **March-April 1978**  
Soyuz 27 takes off from Baikonur on March 4,docking to Salyut 6 the following day. Cosmonauts Yuri Romanenko and Boris Andreyev set up shop:they are expecting two Interkosmos missions,one of which will exchange their Soyuz. Israel tests their first Jericho 100 missile on March 23:to some it's pretty obvious that this missile could someday be a satellite launcher. In April,NASA decides to cancel the Skylab reboost mission,but temporarily keep open the option of deorbiting Skylab with a Delta-launched Agena.  
  
 **May-June 1978**  
The Soviet Mars 8 and 9 orbiters arrive at Mars,assuming elliptical orbits. On May 16,Soyuz 28 carries Alexei Gubarev and Vladimir Remek to Salyut 6,where they spend 10 days with Romanenko and Andreyev doing astronomical experiments. Deke Slayton forms Comspace,a commercial space exploration group. In August,they reveal the design of their _Percheron_ rocket,a two stage LEO booster loosely inspired by the Titan 23G. The smaller _Peterel_ rocket will act as a _Percheron_ test platform,uncovering any potential issues. They also contract with the USAF for the use of Launch Complex 46 for both rockets.  
  
 **July-September 1978**  
Soyuz 29 arrives at Salyut 6 on July 10,crewed by Pyotr Kolodin and Zenon Jankowski. On July 20,they return to Earth in Soyuz 27. Romanenko and Andreyev return to Earth on August 26,utilizing Soyuz 29. NASA announces that the Skylab B ATM will fly on the Sunlab Shuttle mission,scheduled for late 1985 or early 1986:after the mission,the modified ATM will be left in orbit for automatic observations and possible retrieval by a future Shuttle mission. On September 8,William A.Anders is sworn in as NASA Administrator by Vice President Rockefeller,one of his last major actions in office.


	15. Chronology:October 1978-April 1979

**October 1978**  
Skylab is reactivated temporarily. ESA starts studies of an advanced Ariane booster.  
  
 **November-December 1978**  
Alexei Kosygin announces the formation of the Slavic Compact,an economic adjunct to the Warsaw Pact that will regulate the Soviet economy and allow for limited privatization. In midterm elections,the Democrats sweep the Senate. First launch of Ariane 1 on November 19. In December,the Pioneer Venus and Venera 11/12 probes arrive at Venus. An engine error prevents Venera 11 from attaining Venusian orbit,but Venera 12 enters orbit. Their respective landers transmit Venusian atmospheric,weather and surface data. Progress 3 is dispatched to Salyut 6 on December 21.  
  
 **January-Februrary 1979**  
The third Salyut 6 expedition,with cosmonauts Vladimir Kovalenok and Gennady Strekalov. The first production External Tank reaches KSC. On January 24,the Skylab Deorbit Agena is launched atop a Delta 3914,reaching Skylab the next day. Skylab deorbit is planned for May 1. The FTNG astronaut group graduates to training on February 12.  
  
 **March-April 1979**  
Voyager 1 flies past Jupiter on March 5:after its flyby,the Jovian moon Io is revealed to have active volcanoes. Photopolarimeter data suggests the possibility of a salt ocean below the Jovian moon Europa. The Soyuz 31 mission to Salyut 6 just before Easter is comprised of Leonid Popov and Georgi Ivanov-Kakalov,who spend a week on Salyut 6. Assembly of Salyut 8 (the Mir core) is completed (Salyut 7 was completed early in 1977).


	16. Space news of May and June 1979

Skylab was successfully deorbited on May 16. The reentry took place over the NASA tracking station on Ascension Island.  
  
During May and June,Columbia was checked over in the Orbiter Processing Facility. The first Shuttle launch remains on target for November 28,1980. Crew members John Young and Robert Overmyer are into the second part of their training cycle,ascent and entry simulations. Challenger,Discovery,Enterprise,and Atlantis are all in various stages of preparation.  
  
The Voyager 2 and Pioneer 11 missions have the spotlight as they approach Jupiter (July 9) and Saturn (September 1) flybys. Data from Voyager 1 is being studied by scientists the world over as it is targeted for its Saturn flyby on November 12,1980. Voyager 2 will fly by Saturn on August 25,1981:a decision regarding an extended mission to fly by Uranus and Neptune has yet to be taken.  
  
The Salyut 6 crew welcomed the Soyuz T-1 crew on June 10. Cosmonauts Alexei Leonov and Yuri Ponomarov flew this short visiting mission to test out the newest Soyuz variant.


End file.
